Story by Lacey Eibert Keigley
Photos by Robert Voets/CBS
Buffs.
The tribe has spoken.
Jeff Probst.
Outwit. Outplay. Outlast.
Familiar words and phrases if you’re a fan of the reality television show Survivor. (And I’m a fan – for sure. I’ve watched every season since the start, 47 seasons ago!)
The newest season of Survivor begins February 26.
If you’re a Survivor fan, you know that the Upstate area is no stranger to the game.
We’ve had several contestants from our area compete in the long running reality show.
In fact, a TR Main Street business – Hub Fitness – was owned by a former Survivor contestant, Leslie Nease. When she and her family made the difficult decision to leave Travelers Rest for a job opportunity in Utah, her fitness business closed, but not without a giant party first. It was actually a Survivor celebration and many former players and lots of fans showed up for the fun event.
A few years ago another Greenville contestant actually won his season of Survivor. Chris Underwood, a Greenville native at the time of the show, won Season 38 in 2019.
Although the show has shifted some of its methods over the years, if you’ve never watched Survivor, here’s how it works:
18 castaways, contestants from all over, head to Fiji Island where they are sorted into three equal groups and dumped off a boat into the ocean to swim to their respective island areas. They are given no lodging and no food and must make do – with one another and with finding food and competing regularly in competitions for rewards and to avoid going to Tribal Council where a team member is voted out at each council session. If you make it to the end of the 26 days on the island, which is your goal, of course, – you win the title of Sole Survivor and one million dollars.
Over 15,000 people submit applications and only 18 make it to each season.
This year, another Upstate name is joining the small group of contestants for Survivor Season 48.
His name is Dr. Cedrek McFadden and he’s a surgeon with Prisma Health in Greenville. If he looks a little familiar, maybe it’s because you’ve seen him on 7NEWS at 4 pm where he routinely appears as a medical consultant.
Cedrek and I chatted last week about this upcoming season and his experience getting ready to be a contestant and to be stranded on Fiji.
He’s been a fan of the show for years, having found the first season’s finale around the time he was studying hard in medical school. He would watch episodes as a break from studying. And, Cedrek actually applied to be on the show a few years ago but didn’t make the cut.
This time though, his application went through and he made it to where he is now – a Season 48 contestant that we all get to watch on our TVs this week.
“I heard that older people like me don’t apply as often,” Cedrek said. Not that any of us think 46 is old, but in the world of Survivor, most contestants are younger.
He’s hoping his age is a help and not a hindrance. “Sometimes contestants see older age as a liability,” Cedrek shares. But he’s an athlete and runs marathons and has done extensive training for those so he’s hoping that hard work pays off on the island. The challenge, we both agreed, is actually more about perception on a show like Survivor. In a small group like the tribes where someone has to keep being the weak link in order to be voted out, being perceived as a liability is just as bad as actually being a liability. “I don’t want to be seen as bossy or in charge,” Cedrek shares, aware that in past seasons, this is a flaw often seen in the older contestants.
One of the ways in which Cedrek prepped for his 26 days of deprivation and physical challenges was to take some swimming lessons and to practice diving into open water. Survivor challenges are notorious for starting in the ocean and swimming is a big part of many of the competitions. We talked about the difference between being comfortable on a diving board in a pool and diving from a high platform into the ocean itself. He also says that he’s already careful about the foods he eats, embracing a mostly plant-based diet, but he definitely prepared for the food deprivation by eating high protein items like peanut butter before heading onto the boat. Another skill set he’s been practicing – starting a fire. (This one can make or break a contestant’s entire game.)
Cedrek says that inside the game he hopes to lean into what helps him in regular life outside the game – listening, getting along, having easy conversations with folks.
And he has a mantra for when the going gets tough. Because the going is going to get tough. “I plan to say what I said as I worked through medical school and other life challenges. One step at a time.“
Like any Survivor contestant, Cedrek wants to win the game. He wants the title of Sole Survivor. He wants to outwit, outplay, outlast. And, like all players, he does NOT want to go home in the first vote. “I want to make it to the merge too, of course,” he smiles. “And everything else is bonus.”
The show has had the same host for all 48 seasons, the iconic Jeff Probst. When I ask him about Jeff, he offers a big grin and says, “Jeff is the real deal. He really is. He cares about this show and the contestants.”
His family is cheering him on – including extended family who will all be watching each week together. “My daughter might be a little embarrassed for me to be on the show,” he laughs. But he’s thankful for the support from his wife and his kids and his parents and family too as this experience takes him away from his family for the duration of the show’s recording.
I never miss an episode – but how much more fun will it be to watch this season when a friendly Greenville face is on the screen.
Here’s hoping you win the whole thing, Cedrek!
